Marine safety devices, such as life vests, life jackets, life boats and the like, must comply with the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) convention provided by the IMO (International Maritime Organization). For example, lights for lifejackets must comply with specific requirements in terms of luminous intensity, source of energy, visibility, colour and frequency of flashing.
Emergency lights are known in the art:
WO 2004/028896 discloses a marking light device with a light emitting diode cast in a dome shaped member and powered by a lithium battery.
EP 1679258 describes an emergency indicator in a sealed double shell arrangement to provide impermeability to water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,167 describes a water activated locus identifying device. One embodiment of this invention teaches the use of a 9 volt battery as the energy source.
WO 93/14971 discloses a compact tactical and rescue beacon with a rechargeable power source and a power switch located in a recess on the body of the beacon.
These known emergency light devices have a somewhat bulky design. To provide visibility of the emergency light in an emergency situation it must be worn on the outside of the lifejacket, preferably on the shoulder strap, because the shoulders are most likely to surface when a human wearing a lifejacket is in water. A bulky emergency light fixed to the shoulder strap increases the risk of the emergency light grapping, hitting and/or striking obstacles in an emergency situation providing an unnecessary risk for anyone caught in a life threatening situation. An object of the invention is to provide an emergency light device that is safely worn on life jackets.
Recent rule changes means that all life jackets on all merchant boats, such as cruise ships, in international waters must be equipped with an emergency light complying with SOLAS and that these emergency light devices must be replaced at least every five years. That urges the shipping lines to focus on the cost of the life jacket emergency light without however compromising the safety regulations. Thus, an object of the invention is to provide a low-cost emergency light device designed to last for at least five years.